Missions Viewed in Light of Missional Church
본 연구는 선교적 교회론의 기원 및 배경을 간략하게 살펴본 후, 선교적 교회론의 바탕이 되는 그리스도의 지상명령, 하나님의 선교, 통전적 선교, 그리고 상황화의 이슈들을 살펴보면서 선교적 교회의 관점에서 본 선교를 논의하였다. 선교적 교회론은 이미 레슬리 뉴비긴과 데이비드 보쉬와 같은 선교신학자들에 의하여 논의되었으며 1998년 대럴 구더를 비롯한 “미국 복음과 우리의 문화 네트워크”에 속한 연구자들에 의하여 더욱 활발하게 논의되었다. 예수 그리스도의 지상명령은 하나님의 선교의 중추라고 볼 수 있으며 이 전도명령에 따라 교차문화적 선교와 지역사회에 대한 봉사가 진행되어야 한다. 따라서 “우리”나 교회가 아니라 삼위일체 하나님이 주체가 되는 하나님의 선교는 복음을 토착민의 심성과 다양한 문화적 형태들에 따라서 전해야 하는 토착적인 교회의 개척과 성장은 물론 제 4의 자아, 즉 토착화 신학의 개발을 요구한다. 더 나아가서, 하나님의 선교는 하나님의 나라를 이 땅에 임하게 하기 위하여 복음전도와 사회적 책임을 통합할 수 있는 통전적 선교를 추구한다. 이 통전적 선교는 선교적 교회가 캐리그마, 코이노니아, 그리고 디아코니아를 통하여 예수 그리스도가 당시에 행하신 선교를 그분이 다시 오실 때까지 계속하는 것이다. 특히 오늘날 이 시대에 선교적 교회는 모든 경계를 뛰어넘어 예수 그리스도의 증인이 되어야 하며 변화와 화해의 사신이 되어야 한다.
This study attempted to review how the discussion about missional church had come to the academic circle with reference to the origin and background of missional church. In actuality, the concept of missional church began with the publication of the book entitled Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America (1998). Later, Darrell L. Guder wrote The Continuing Conversion of the Church (2000). Beside these, Craig Van Gelder and Dwight J. Zscheile co-authored The Missional Church in Perspective (2011). These works greatly contributed to the academic development of missional church as well as the recognition of the missional church all over the world.However, Lesslie Newbigin and David J. Bosch were the early advocates of the missional church. The former returned to England after he had finished mission work in South India. He discovered that England became the mission field calling for God’s mission. After this discovery, he began to articulate what would be the nature and the task of the church in terms of God’s mission. The latter returned to South Africa after he finished his biblical and missiological studies at Basel in Switzerland. He worked as a missionary among the natives to share the good news of the Kingdom with them as change agents. Later, he became a professor of missions at University of South Africa in Pretoria while writing Witness to the World (1980) and Transforming Mission (1991). The missional church learned a lot from these mission scholars and missionary leaders. The missional church needs to be sure of the Great Commission which was given to His disciples as well as all Christians today. The Great Commission must be reflected and carried out in the work of missional church while it becomes the foundation for world evangelization. The Great Commission is not an option but a mandate for the missional church participating in God’s mission. The mission work of the missional church largely depends upon the careful articulation and the faithful practice of the Great Commission. However, in addition to the Great Commission, God’s compassion for the lost becomes the motive for the missional church through which God’s Kingdom is realized in the world which God loves so much.The missional church needs to look at the mission as God’s mission rather than humans’ or churches,’ In essence, mission is the Trinitarian God’s work. In particular, the Holy Spirit empowers the missional church to carry on the mission work in the world as the light and the salt for the world. The Lord Jesus Christ encourages us to go into the world with the gospel message which is the same truth forever in response to the different cultures in which the unreached people live their lives according to their way of life and their way of thinking.The missional church needs to serve the people in the community outside of the church as well as the people inside of the church. The missional church carries out God’s mission through the holistic mission, that is, dong mission work through kerygma, koinonia, and diakonia. Further, the missional church needs to contextualize the gospel according the needs of the people within different cultural forms. The cultural forms are the most effective media of communicating the gospel message to the people. However, the missional church needs to practice critical contextualization in terms of indigenous ministry and indigenous theology in order to make the biblical message more meaningful to the people. This is the nature and the mission work of the missional church. The Triune God wants us to be a missional church for His Kingdom and glory. The missional church prays, “Your Kingdom come”(Mt. 6:10).